coriander leaves chutney /Malli Ela chuntney

malayalam

Abundance! that’s how we get coriander leaves here. That two in two varieties- one with short stem and broad leaves and the other with tiny leaves and flowers with long stem. I never knew these taste amazing until I got fresh ones. Those available in Kerala is either very pricey or not good in taste. The tradition of buying these leaves started after I moved to T.V.Malai.

This chutney is quite similar to the one we get along with Dosa /Idli in hotels, they seem to use curd.Since M, is not allowed to use it yet, I have replaced it with a small piece of tamarind! I have tasted another yummy chutney made with this from a friend of mine, will soon post that method too 🙂

Make sure to get rid of dirt from the leaves and wash them well. Lightly sauteing the leaves helps to retain the green color.

So, let’s get cooking…

Coriander leaf coconut chutney – serves 3-4

what you will need	how much you will need
coriander leaves	1 bunch /around 1 cup after chopped
grated coconut	1/4-1/2 cup* refer notes
ginger	1/4″  piece
green chillies	1-2,according to spice toleerance
tamarind	one small gooseberry size(arinellikka size)
salt	as needed
water	2-4 tbsp or more* refer notes
mustard seeds	1/4 tsp
coconut oil/ vegetable oil	1tsp
sugar	a small pinch

Method:

1.  Cut the coriander leaves  stem 1 inch from the root , wash well under running water few times and set aside to drain and roughly chop them.
2. In a pan, add the leaves and saute lightly for 2-3 minutes ,or until the leaves are bit soften and reduced in size.Switch off.
3. In a mixer bowl, take ginger, green chilly, tamarind and coriander leaves  , coconut and salt. Add 2-3 tbsp of water too , grind into a fine paste. Taste check add more tamarind /green chilly/salt accordingly)
4.  Keep grinding until its a fine paste. Add water , If you want this in to be little thin.( adjust the consistency accordingly) .Finally add sugar and pulse once.
5. transfer into a bowl, in another pan, add oil, once its hot add mustard seeds ,(add curry leaves if you want) pour this over the chutney.
6. Serve with dosa/idli or even rice!

Notes:

1. Add more coconut if you want. This reduces the taste of coriander leaves ,though.
2. You can also add curry leaves and dried redd chillies ,while tempering!
3. Lightly sauteing helps to retain the color( do not overdo that 😀 )
4. * the leaves will ooze out some water, so add water accordingly . Add 2-3 tbsp initially and add more in between ,if required( depend on the consistency you need.)
5. Do not add sugar in the beginning itself, always add it toward the end ,in the last pulse/grind. Add just a dash not more than that!
6. You can replace the tamarind with curd /lemon juice. Use 1-3 tbsp of curd ,as per the sourness required and use juice from 1/2- 1 lemon as per required.

 

 

until next time, happy cooking!!

lekshmi 🙂